Automation triggers

A trigger is the event that enrolls a client in an automation. When the event occurs, the client enters the sequence and actions begin running.

Client acquisition

Trigger	When it fires
New client added	A new client profile is created in your Arketa account
New lead added	A new lead (as designated by Lead Management) is added to your account
Client tag added	A specific tag is added to a client's profile — you choose which tags trigger the automation
Client transitioned to lifecycle stage	A client moves into a lifecycle stage you choose
Upcoming birthday	A client's birthday is coming up
Subscribed to newsletter	A client opts in to your newsletter via your embedded Lead Form
Chatbot message received	A lead sends a message through your website chatbot
Form submitted	A client completes an Arketa form

Purchases

Trigger	When it fires
Client purchased pricing option	A client completes checkout and purchases a pricing option — you can filter by specific pricing options
Client used all pricing option credits	A client uses the last credit on a pricing option
Subscription first payment succeeded	A client's first subscription payment goes through
Package credits running low	A client's package is running low on credits — you choose which packages and the credit threshold
Package expiring soon	A client's package will expire in X days — you set the number of days
Subscription will be canceled within x days	A client's subscription is scheduled to cancel in X days — you set the number of days
Canceled or expired subscription	A client's subscription is canceled or expires

Bookings and visits

Trigger	When it fires
First class booked	A client books their very first class
First appointment booked	A client books their very first appointment
Checked into first class	A client is checked into their first class
Checked into class	A client is checked into any class
Class booked	Any class is booked — you can filter by specific class or service type
One hour before class	A booked class starts in one hour
Checked out of appointment	A client completes an appointment

Engagement and milestones

Trigger	When it fires
Class milestone (per location)	A client reaches a class attendance milestone at one location — you set the number
Class milestone (all locations)	A client reaches a class attendance milestone across all locations — you set the number

Win-back

Trigger	When it fires
Client has made no recent purchases	A client hasn't purchased anything in X days — you set the number of days
Client has made no recent bookings	A client hasn't booked anything in X days
Client has made no recent purchases or bookings	A client hasn't purchased OR booked in X days

Filters

Filters narrow who an automation starts for. Add them from the Filters section of the Trigger panel in the automation builder. They work on every trigger type, including win-back triggers, and are optional. An automation with no filters applies to every client.

Filter	What it checks	Available on
Home location	The client's default location, including a No home location option	Studios with two or more locations
Class location	Whether the class is at the client's own home location ("their home location")	Booking triggers such as Class booked, Checked into class, and First class booked, at studios with two or more locations
Tags	The tags on the client's profile	All triggers
Lifecycle stage	The client's lifecycle stage	All triggers
Source	How the client was added, such as Walk-in or Referral	All triggers
Membership or pack	Whether the client has an active membership or class pack, or with is not, none	All triggers

How filters work:

• Each filter has an is / is not switch.
• Several values in one filter mean any of them match.
• With two or more filters, All must match: a client has to satisfy every filter.
• Filters are checked live, when the trigger event happens, against the client's current profile (and the booking, for booking triggers).
• Clients already in the automation aren't re-checked. Win-back triggers are the exception: they check filters when the client is found and again before each step, so a client who stops matching exits before the next message.
• A deleted value, such as a tag you later deleted, shows struck through with "(deleted)" and never matches.
• A client with no home location never matches a Class location filter.

The panel warns you when every value of a filter has been deleted, or when two filters contradict each other, such as Tagged VIP and Not tagged VIP. These warnings don't stop you from saving.

Learn how to add filters →

Filters or a conditional?

Filters are a fixed list: the six in the table above. They can't check everything a conditional step can.

• Use a filter to decide who enters the automation at all. A client who doesn't match is never enrolled, and filters are checked against live data the moment the trigger fires.
• Use a conditional for anything else, such as visit counts, spend, a specific pricing option, or a custom field. Conditionals use the same rules as Customers → Segments, and they run as a step, so the client is already enrolled when the check happens.

If an automation starts with a conditional that only uses a filter on the list, such as a tag or a home location, move it to a filter. Clients who don't qualify then never enter the automation. See Conditionals →

Re-enrollment

By default, a client only enters an automation once. If you want clients to re-enroll when they trigger the event again (e.g., purchase a second pricing option), toggle Re-enroll on in the trigger step settings.

Examples and Behaviors

Pack and credit-based conditions

A common use case is triggering an automation when a client's pack drops to 1 or 0 credits. From there you can:

• Email the client a direct repurchase link
• Assign an internal task to a staff member to follow up personally
• Do both — send the email and create a task for follow-up if there's no response

This is useful for studios where clients recharge packs regularly and you want to prompt re-purchase before they run out completely. It also serves as a workaround for the absence of a dedicated "subscription renewal on credit exhaustion" trigger.

Trigger behavior to be aware of

Some triggers fire in situations that can catch clients off guard — understanding the underlying conditions helps you avoid unintended automations.

• Subscription will be canceled within x days: This trigger fires only for subscriptions scheduled to cancel — usually ones the client already canceled that are running to the end of their billing cycle. Write the message for a client who has already chosen to leave, not as a generic "expiring soon" reminder.
• No "X days before renewal" trigger: There is no native trigger for sending a message a set number of days before a client's next renewal charge. A time delay loop workaround exists but is impractical for most studios. If you need pre-renewal messaging, a manual broadcast to upcoming renewals is the more reliable approach.
• Reminder emails: Booking reminder emails only fire if the reservation was made before the reminder window opens. A client who books 30 minutes before class won't receive 24-hour or 3-hour reminders — the window has already passed.
• No-show reminders: Fire exactly 1 hour after class ends. This timing is fixed and not customizable.
• Substitute instructor email: Only fires when the substitute feature is used — not when an instructor is manually swapped on a class.
• Invoice payment failed: Only triggers for recurring subscription payment failures, not one-time purchase failures.